A report on Bengal, Bengalis and East Pakistan
Bengalis (singular Bengali বাঙ্গালী/বাঙালি ), also rendered as Bangalee or the Bengali people, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the Bengal region of South Asia.
- BengalisThe predominant ethnolinguistic group is the Bengali people, who speak the Indo-Aryan language of Bengali.
- BengalChaudhry Rehmat Ali, who did not include Bengal in the coined word "PAKISTAN", did create a state among many in India in his book Now or Never pamphlet (1933).
- East PakistanThe rise of self-determination and Bengali nationalism movements in East Bengal, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
- BengalisThe western joined India (and was named West Bengal) while the eastern part joined Pakistan as a province called East Bengal (later renamed East Pakistan, giving rise to Bangladesh in 1971).
- BengalThe largest ethnic group of the province were Bengalis, who in turn were the largest ethnic group in Pakistan.
- East Pakistan7 related topics with Alpha
Bangladesh
5 linksCountry in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of either 148460 km2 or 147570 km2, making it one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Bangladesh shares land borders with India to the west, north, and east, and Myanmar to the southeast; to the south it has a coastline along the Bay of Bengal. It is narrowly separated from Bhutan and Nepal by the Siliguri Corridor; and from China by 100 km of the Indian state of Sikkim in the north. Dhaka, the capital and largest city, is the nation's economic, political, and cultural hub.
Country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of either 148460 km2 or 147570 km2, making it one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Bangladesh shares land borders with India to the west, north, and east, and Myanmar to the southeast; to the south it has a coastline along the Bay of Bengal. It is narrowly separated from Bhutan and Nepal by the Siliguri Corridor; and from China by 100 km of the Indian state of Sikkim in the north. Dhaka, the capital and largest city, is the nation's economic, political, and cultural hub.
Bangladesh forms the sovereign part of the historic and ethnolinguistic region of Bengal, which was divided during the Partition of India in 1947.
It was renamed as East Pakistan with Dhaka becoming the country's legislative capital.
Bengalis make up 98% of the total population of Bangladesh, and the large Muslim population of Bangladesh makes it the third-largest Muslim-majority country.
West Bengal
4 linksWest Bengal (, Bengali: Poshchim Bongo,, abbr.
West Bengal (, Bengali: Poshchim Bongo,, abbr.
Part of the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, it borders Bangladesh in the east, and Nepal and Bhutan in the north.
The state's main ethnic group are the Bengalis, with the Bengali Hindus forming the demographic majority.
In 1947, at the end of British rule over the Indian subcontinent the Bengal Legislative Council and the Bengal Legislative Assembly voted on the Partition of Bengal along religious lines into two separate entities: West Bengal, which continued as an Indian state and East Bengal, a province of Pakistan, which came to be known be as East Pakistan and later became the independent Bangladesh.
Bengali Muslims
4 links
Bengali Muslims (বাঙালি মুসলমান; ) are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis.
The Bengal region was a leading power of the medieval Islamic East.
After the Partition of India in 1947, they comprised the demographic majority of Pakistan until the independence of East Pakistan (historic East Bengal) as Bangladesh in 1971.
Dhaka
3 links
Dhaka ( or ; ঢাকা, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city.
In 1947, after the end of British rule, the city became the administrative capital of East Pakistan.
The Awami League was formed at the Rose Garden Palace, in 1949 as the Bengali alternative to the domination of the Muslim League in Pakistan.
Bengali Hindus
3 linksEthnoreligious population who make up the majority in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jharkhand, and Assam's Barak Valley region.
Ethnoreligious population who make up the majority in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jharkhand, and Assam's Barak Valley region.
They are adherents of Hinduism and are native to the Bengal region in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent.
At the time of the independence of India in 1947, the province of Bengal was partitioned between India and East Pakistan, part of the Muslim-majority state of Pakistan.
In India, they tend to identify themselves as Bengalis while in Bangladesh they tend to identify themselves as Hindus.
Assam
3 linksState in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys.
State in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys.
A reign of terror was unleashed by the Burmese on the Assamese people, who fled to neighbouring kingdoms and British-ruled Bengal.
The growth in the Western districts and Southern districts was high primarily due to the influx of people from East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.
Durga Puja, a festival introduced and popularised by Bengalis, is widely celebrated across the state.
1971 Bangladesh genocide
2 links
The genocide in Bangladesh began on 25 March 1971 with the launch of Operation Searchlight, as the Pakistan government dominated by West Pakistan began a military crackdown on East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) to suppress Bengali calls for self-determination.
From the White House tapes: "The President seems to be making sure that the distrusted State Department would not, on its own, condemn Yahya for killing Bengalis."